NEW YORK (November 6, 2017) – Dr. Anthony Hollenberg, a leading physician-scientist specializing in endocrinology, has been appointed chairman of the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Department of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and physician-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, effective Feb. 1.

Recruited as the Weill Chairman, Dr. Hollenberg will lead the institutions’ largest clinical and academic department, overseeing 16 divisions and nearly 2,600 physicians and scientists who exemplify excellence in their medical disciplines. He will leverage opportunities afforded by Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian’s clinical expansion to enhance the department’s distinguished clinical and research programs. And he will also seek to recruit outstanding physicians and scientists to complement the team already assembled in the Weill Department of Medicine, and nurture the next generation of medical leaders through its medical education programs—including residency programs and fellowships in medical subspecialties.

Dr. Hollenberg was recruited to Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School in Boston, where he is chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, and vice chair for mentoring in its Department of Medicine. He is also currently director of Clinical and Translational Training Programs at Harvard Catalyst, the Clinical and Translational Science Center at Harvard Medical School, where he is a professor of medicine.

As an endocrinologist interested in thyroid disorders, Dr. Hollenberg investigates the physiological and molecular underpinnings of metabolism, with a particular focus on understanding how thyroid hormones regulate metabolism and lipid levels, and affect body weight. Additionally, his lab is developing protocols to develop functioning thyroid tissue from embryonic stem cells. An accomplished basic and translational researcher, Dr. Hollenberg uses findings gleaned from his basic science research to help his patients, who then further inform his work in the lab.

“Dr. Hollenberg is an esteemed physician-scientist, educator and a proven leader, and we are thrilled he will be joining us as chairman of the Weill Department of Medicine,” said Dr. Augustine M.K. Choi, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine. “Under his direction, the department will continue to cultivate and attract top talent in academic medicine and research, advancing our mission of scientific discovery and our world-class reputation for clinical, research and educational excellence.”

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Hollenberg, an accomplished physician-scientist and outstanding leader who will continue our longstanding commitment to providing world-class, compassionate care to our patients,” said Dr. Steven J. Corwin, president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian. “As physician-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, he will improve patients’ lives through his innovative research and clinical work, and his commitment to education and mentoring will help foster the remarkable talent at our academic medical center.”

“It’s an enormous honor to be selected for this position,” Dr. Hollenberg said. “Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian have nurtured an incredible culture for excellence in science and medicine, which is reflected in the exemplary nature of their entire biomedical enterprise and the resources the institutions provide for innovation. I consider it a privilege to take on these roles, and I’m thrilled about this opportunity.”

As chairman of medicine, Dr. Hollenberg will build upon the department’s leading voice in medicine and science. “My goal is to build the most outstanding Department of Medicine that excels in its tri-partite mission of exceptional clinical care and education, and world-class research, ensuring excellence in basic, clinical and translational work,” he said.

Dr. Hollenberg plans to capitalize on opportunities provided by Weill Cornell Medicine’s and NewYork-Presbyterian’s clinical expansions into Lower Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn, as well as at the new David H. Koch Center, a state-of-the-art ambulatory care center set to open in 2018 at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Dr. Hollenberg plans on leveraging the institutions’ increasing reach to foster new opportunities for scientific discovery and strengthen existing collaborations between investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian and their colleagues at Memorial Sloan Kettering, The Rockefeller University and Hospital for Special Surgery, as well as Cornell University in Ithaca and Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island. The Weill Department of Medicine is already a hub for cutting-edge biomedical research, with total research grants exceeding $44 million in 2016.

“The beauty of a department of medicine is that by providing such unparalleled care for a wide variety of people, both inside and outside the hospital, you really get to identify the major complex issues that need to be solved scientifically,” Dr. Hollenberg said, “from a policy level all the way down to an experiment in the lab.”

Dr. Hollenberg has a longstanding commitment to teaching and mentoring, and one of his top priorities will center on fostering emerging talent. “I’m committed to supporting the next generation of young investigators,” he said, “making sure that the best trainees who come to Weill Cornell and NewYork-Presbyterian are able to stay and develop into outstanding investigators.”

About Dr. Anthony Hollenberg

Dr. Hollenberg, a native of Toronto, received his bachelor’s degree in biochemical sciences from Harvard College and his medical degree from the University of Calgary in Canada. He completed an internal medicine residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center—rising to chief medical resident—as well as a clinical and research fellowship in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism at Massachusetts General Hospital. In 1993, he was recruited back to Beth Israel to start his laboratory, where he most recently served as director of strategic research planning and development, in addition to his positions of vice chair of mentoring and division chief. He joined the faculty of Harvard Medical School in 1993, ultimately becoming a professor of medicine. Additionally, he served as director of Clinical and Translational Training Programs for Harvard Catalyst.

Board certified in internal medicine, Dr. Hollenberg is a member of the American Thyroid Association, the Endocrine Society and the American Diabetes Association. He has published more than 80 original studies in journals such as The Journal of Clinical Investigation, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Cell Metabolism, The Journal of Neuroscience, Cell Stem Cell and Endocrinology. He has also contributed 25 book chapters and reviews, and currently serves as associate editor of Endocrinology. His awards and honors include the Van Meter Award from the American Thyroid Association and election to the American Association of Physicians.

Dr. Hollenberg is married to Judy Levenfeld, an attorney and higher education consultant. They have three children.

Weill Cornell Medicine

Weill Cornell Medicine is committed to excellence in patient care, scientific discovery and the education of future physicians in New York City and around the world. The doctors and scientists of Weill Cornell Medicine — faculty from Weill Cornell Medical College, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and Weill Cornell Physician Organization—are engaged in world-class clinical care and cutting-edge research that connect patients to the latest treatment innovations and prevention strategies. Located in the heart of the Upper East Side's scientific corridor, Weill Cornell Medicine's powerful network of collaborators extends to its parent university Cornell University; to Qatar, where Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar offers a Cornell University medical degree; and to programs in Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria and Turkey. Weill Cornell Medicine faculty provide comprehensive patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Queens. Weill Cornell Medicine is also affiliated with Houston Methodist. For more information, visit weill.cornell.edu.

NewYork-Presbyterian

NewYork-Presbyterian is one of the nation’s most comprehensive, integrated academic healthcare delivery systems, whose organizations are dedicated to providing the highest quality, most compassionate care and service to patients in the New York metropolitan area, nationally, and throughout the globe. In collaboration with two renowned medical schools, Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian is consistently recognized as a leader in medical education, groundbreaking research and innovative, patient-centered clinical care.

NewYork-Presbyterian has four major divisions:

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is ranked #1 in the New York metropolitan area by U.S. News and World Report and repeatedly named to the Honor Roll of “America’s Best Hospitals.”

NewYork-Presbyterian Regional Hospital Network comprises hospitals and other facilities in the New York metropolitan region.

NewYork-Presbyterian Physician Services, which connects medical experts with patients in their communities.

NewYork-Presbyterian Community and Population Health, encompassing ambulatory care network sites and community healthcare initiatives, including NewYork Quality Care, the Accountable Care Organization jointly established by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia.

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